Feb 2020 – DAA Board Update

Happy New Year (a little late) and as we begin 2020 the Board wishes you all many happy days of paddling and wonderful group adventures.   The strong bonds you have within your group are inspiring and we know results in great times together! The past few months continue to be busy for the Board and one of our priorities for 2020 is fundraising.   We continue to explore events that will support the National Office.  As in the past your donations are equally important as we all work together to ensure Dragons Abreast Australia continues to ‘flourish and grow’. If the words sound familiar that is because it is the theme for the National Convention to be held in Brisbane the weekend of 20th/21st June 2020.   The registration information has been sent and we encourage all groups to send at least two members one being the Coordinator.  Once we are sure group representatives have reserved their spot other members are welcome to register.  The Convention is an important opportunity for us to share, learn and of course paddle together.  The Board looks forward to an informative, interesting weekend.  If you missed the invitation here is your link to register.

Board Director AppointmentsThe Board welcomed two new Directors effective 15 January 2020. They bring with them experience, knowledge and a desire to help DAA achieve their goals. Click HERE for more about Gemma Bawden and Ross Halfacree.

Member Group ManualVery shortly you will be receiving an updated Member Group Manual from the Office.  This document will provide information on the role of the Coordinator and where to find information you may need about DAA.   This will be sent by email and we will update as the need arises.  Please take a minute to review and share with your Committee.

Roles and ResponsibilitiesDAA National Office has a different role and responsibilities from groups.   With DAA being a national charity we have regulatory responsibilities as well as managing a national charity and office. The Board too has responsibilities as Directors and most importantly we are tasked with ensuring the organisation meets charity standards and always remains financially viable with money being spent on the objectives outlined in our Constitution.   This is very different from our groups with the primary function being to encourage breast cancer survivors to paddle to improve their health.  In addition to that they must also abide by State regulations and ensure they are financially/operationally sound.  The Board has developed a Matrix of Responsibilities which we believe you will find useful in defining our roles.

Survey Results/Financial StatementsThanks to all groups who completed the six month survey and sent in copies of their latest financial statements.  Not all groups sent in their financial reports and the Board is disappointed that you did not take the time to keep us updated.  DAA has responsibility to ensure all groups are financially secure and have enough funds to cover their individual operations.  As the funds raised are under the DAA name and logo we need to ensure they are appropriately accounted for and spent.   We will continue to ask for these reports each year. The survey results were interesting and one thing that became immediately clear is how busy you are with fundraising, come and try days and other many other events.   We will be sharing the results with you at the National Convention.  This survey will help us when applying for grants so we can demonstrate the importance of paddling for breast cancer survivors and why we need financial assistance.

GrantsWe have actively been applying for grants and have a number outstanding.   We have now secured our first grant for updating the DAA website.  We are delighted with this outcome and would like to say a big thank you to Janelle Pritchard from DA Brisbane who has spent many hours working with the office researching and applying for grants.

SponsorsDAA continues to seek sponsors for our operating costs and events such as the Convention.  If you have any contacts that you feel would be a possible sponsor please email [email protected] and provide details.  We need everyone to assist us in finding long term sponsor arrangements. For the Convention we are delighted that Amoena has sponsored the event as a Gold Sponsor.   Their support is greatly appreciated.

Outward Bound – Women of Courage Program OpportunityWe are in discussions with Outward Bound Australia (OBA) to secure a DAA exclusive experience in 2021. Date:  18 – 22 May 2021 Where:  Uki Base camp, Tweed Valley, Northern NSW The aims of the Outward Bound program are to assist in building capacity for participants to lead and inspire teams to achieve their personal best, the program will focus on developing skills in:strength exercises to avoid injury;self-awareness;dealing with conflict;giving and receiving feedback.YOUR COST Costs are not finalised, but likely to be around $1,400 per person. Program costs include:Public Liability insurance of up to $50M;Activities and all associated equipment;On program logistics; 4wd vehicle support, logistics taff and electronic communication systems;All meal planning and corresponding purchase and provision of food on program;All consumables required for essential program functioning, e.g. motor vehicle and stove fuel, cleaning materials, toilet rolls;Accommodation on program, Bivvies or tents as deemed appropriate by OBA for the environment;National Park and private land access and license fees;Costs associated with equipment lost or unintentionally damaged on the program;Program coordination; liaison and program preparation for the client and other stakeholders prior to the program;Instructor visit for client presentations pre-program;Sleeping bags, sleeping sheets, mats & backpack;Care Monkey (Electronic medical processing).Not included:Travel to and from Outward Bound;Personal and relevant travel insurance for participants and accompanying staff and any other relevant representatives from your organisation;Costs associated with returning a participant from the program other than at scheduled time (e.g.in the case of injury);Costs associated with theft or intentional damage to equipment or property during or after the program. HOW MANY CAN PARTICIPATE? 14 participants per group, maximum of 8 groups. WHO CAN PARTICIPATE? This event is open to financial members of DAA only. NEXT STEPS If there is enough interest from members, we will go ahead with registration opening in July 2020.  We are now asking for expressions of interest, so please complete the this short survey.  This is not a registration form.  The survey closes at 6:00pm AEST 20 March 2020. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Anne Stowe on [email protected].